Elan Seagraves: Kennedy HS coach accused of human trafficking

Elan Seagraves, a Kennedy High School soccer coach, who also worked as a ride-share driver, was arrested in connection with human trafficking of teen girls, Sacramento County sheriff’s officials said Friday.

Authorities arrested Elan Seagraves, 34, of Sacramento, on Christmas Day after a 17-year-old girl called the police to report that she was sexually assaulted and sold into human trafficking, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.

The victim told deputies she had been hiding in the back yard of a south Sacramento home at the time, and that the man who forced her to perform sex acts for cash had been waiting for her in a vehicle near the house, sheriff officials said.

Deputies found Seagraves in a vehicle with another 17-year-old girl and discovered that both girls had been victims of human trafficking, authorities said.

Investigators learned that Seagraves coached boys soccer at Kennedy High School in Sacramento, and served as a coach and referee for several youth soccer leagues in the area. Sheriff officials say he also drove for Uber and Lyft.

Seagraves, who was arrested for human trafficking and pimping a minor, is being held on $2 million bond in the Sacramento County jail as of Monday, according to jail records.

The Sacramento Bee reports that he will appear in court Thursday.

Authorities, out of an abundance of caution, are asking anyone who has been in contact with him to come forward to the police.

“It’s absolutely 100 percent alarming,” Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Shaun Hampton told KTXL. “We want to encourage, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of any other things they may be involved in, it’s important to come forward.”

School district officials from the Sacramento City Unified School District released a statement saying Seagraves “will no longer be allowed to work with our kids in any capacity” after learning of his alleged behavior.